L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 34 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2018 M imosa, Bellini and Tintoretto: ma- sterpieces... to drink all year round! I wonder if, in 1948, Giuseppe Cipriani, barman of Venice's Harry's Bar, would have thought that 5 cl of rigorously crushed (ne- ver blended!) white peach flesh and just about twice as much chilled Prosecco were to become the Bel- lini, one of the world's favorite long drinks, named after the artist of the same name, because of the colors of one of his paintings. Thanks to a French importer's initiative, New York would get its white peaches directly from Italy and the new trend soon became a classic also on the other side of the Atlantic. Following the Bellini's popula- rity, three more "seasonal" cock- tails were created, with Prosecco or Spumante Brut as a main ingre- dient. The Rossini, named to honor the great composer, was made with blended strawberries, a few drops of lemon juice and ice, a perfect concoction for the Summer season. In the Fall came the Tintoretto, made with Asolo's pomegranate to remember the great painter from Cadore who, with his "Tintoretto red" reminiscent of pomegranate's very own nuances, gave a fiery li- ght to his works. Last, but not least, the Mimosa, delicate and sweet-scented, made with orange juice in the Winter, when this fruit is at its best. The Bellini is an International Bartenders Association's official cocktail. Bottarga: caviar made in Italy Bottarga is nothing more than the dried and naturally processed eggs of tuna fish and mullet. It is an exceptionally delicious product, rich in proteins, typical of Sardinia, Sicily and of the southern area of Maremma, near Orbetello. As it of- ten happens with Italian delicacies, its origins lie deep in ancient hi- story. Even though the name itself, "bottarga," comes from the Arabic "batarikh" (used to indicate salted fish eggs), it was probably the Phoenicians who made it known in the Mediterranean. Sicily produces red tuna bot- targa and yellow fin tuna bottarga. Favignana red tuna is the most ex- quisite, flavorsome variety and can weight over 100 kg. Thanks to its deliciousness, it is included in the list of Sicily's traditional food and agriculture products. However yellow fin tuna, of lower quality and weight, is used much more. Sardinia is specialized in the production of mullet bottarga, the most famous variety coming from the Stagno Cabras area, a place known for its biodiversity. The eggs are washed, salted and stirred every day, then pressed and let mature. Bottarga can be grated on spa- ghetti, just as one does with par- migiano, or thinly sliced and served on crostini, with a drop of olive oil. Marron Glacé: an all Italian delicacy Wild chestnuts have been known to Man since the times of ancient Greece. Xenophon, Virgil, Apicius and Galen all exalted their nutritional properties and their fla- vor. However, it was the chef of Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Sa- voia, who invented this little gems of sweetness, marrons glacés, so- metimes towards the end of the 16th century. Their recipe was pu- blished for the first time much la- ter, in 1766, in the culinary treatise Il Confetturiere Piemontese. Marrons glacés must be made only with the best chestnuts which, yesterday as today, come from Cuneo. During the Middle Ages, che- stnuts became the most important food for Alpine people, probably because monastic communities had worked hard to improve their cultivation in the mountains. As a consequence, it was con- sidered "a food for the poor" and was largely avoided in the kit- chens of the nobles and the rich. It is in those times that a selection of the best chestnuts began: they were round, lighter in color, sweet and called "marroni." Preparing marrons glacés is neither quick nor simple: chest- nuts must soak in water for 9 days, then cooked with sugar and va- nilla and, lastly, candied for a week. ...And let us finish with a touch of Piedmontese charme: there is nothing better than having mar- rons glacés with sweet, scented, candied violet petals. Bellini's, made with Prosecco and white peaches, was created in Venice in 1948 VARINIA CAPPELLETTI Italian Food Culture A Culinary Journey by L'Italo-Americano Marron glacés: delicious treats born in Piedmont Bottarga is dried and naturally processed eggs of tuna fish or mullet

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